The court heard how he stole a wheel brace after breaking into a car at an Ipswich train station. He then managed to lure a man into a nearby carpark before assaulting and robbing him.

Jailed indefinitely Ian TomlinsonAnother one of his victims woke up in hospital after he was found unconscious in a pool of blood at a park in Colchester next to the town’s station.

Detective Sergeant Dave Strange, who oversaw the investigation, said: “The judge recorded that all three offences fell within the most serious of the three sentencing ranges.

“I welcome the sentence handed down to Tomlinson, a serial offender who preyed on vulnerable victims before rendering them defenceless and stealing their belongings from them.

“I would like to reassure the public that the railways are and will continue to be a very safe environment and hope this result goes someway to showing there is a zero-tolerance policy in place to deal with violent offenders.”